Top Gun: A Tale of Two Mavericks

By Zach Smyers
HRNM Educator

The original Top Gun movie released by Paramount Pictures in 1986 was the highest-grossing film of that year with a domestic gross of $177 million. In addition, the song “Danger Zone” was a hit for musician Kenny Loggins, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The film starred Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Anthony Edwards and brought to movie audiences such memorable lines as, “I feel the need…the need for speed!” and “You can be my wingman!” The story focused on a group of young, cocky U.S. Navy aviators attending the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, or “Top Gun,” during the Cold War. The Navy created the school during the Vietnam War to teach pilots how to dogfight properly. During the Vietnam War, the Navy’s aircraft kill ratio (the number of enemy aircraft shot down for each U.S. Navy aircraft lost) had declined in comparison to the kill ratio during the Korean War. The school, using instructors as aggressor force pilots, puts incoming student pilots to the test, pushing their aircraft to the limits. The school’s overall goal is to teach pilots survival and success in aerial combat.

Tom Cruise as LT Pete Mitchell in Top Gun

The producers of the original Top Gun film spared no expense in making the audience feel like they were part of the action taking place on the big screen. They used real U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats, as well as many active duty Sailors as background extras. Several Top Gun instructors were film consultants and also flew many of the aircraft, which resulted in realistic flight scenes and praise from film critics. With the success of the first Top Gun film, a sequel was discussed with Tom Cruise returning as his character “Maverick” and Tony Scott as director. Unfortunately, the proposed sequel was put on hold when director Tony Scott committed suicide on August 19, 2012. This tragic event left fans of the original film wondering if there ever would be a sequel.

Maverick and Goose in the air during Top Gun school

Thirty-six years later, the wait was over. Top Gun: Maverick opened on May 27, 2022. The big question for most moviegoers was, “How will this film compare to the original?” Following the same formula as the first film, the opening scene is a montage of flight operations taking place on a real U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with the song “Danger Zone” playing in the background. Then the audience is transported to Modesto, California, where Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is still in the Navy. He now holds the rank of captain and is working as a test pilot. After an incident with the experimental aircraft that he’s flying, Maverick is standing tall before a two-star admiral (played by Ed Harris), who reviews Maverick’s service record, pointing out his many accomplishments as a naval aviator. The admiral also points out that at this point in his career, Maverick should also be an admiral, but he insists on continuing to fly and refusing to retire. Based on the admiral’s tone, things aren’t looking great for Maverick, but then instead of being punished for his latest antics, Maverick learns that he’s being recalled to Top Gun.

Tom Cruise as Captain Pete Mitchell

Maverick makes the journey to “Fighter Town USA” in San Diego, California (even though the real Top Gun school moved to Fallon, Nevada, many years ago). Upon checking into the command, he learns he’s been personally requested at Top Gun by his old rival and now good friend “Ice Man,” once again played by Val Kilmer. Maverick is informed that his objective is to teach a team of younger Top Gun graduates how to carry out a mission deemed nearly impossible. In this capacity, Maverick takes on a role similar to Tom Skerritt’s character, “Viper,” in the original film, as he becomes a teacher and mentor to the younger group of pilots. To add an additional level of drama to Maverick’s tasking, one of the pilots he’s being asked to train is the son of “Goose,” Maverick’s best friend, who was killed during training in the original film.

Jennifer Connelly as Penny, Maverick's love interest in Top Gun: Maverick

With the purpose of Maverick returning to the Top Gun school revealed and the younger generation of pilots introduced, the question remains…will this formula for the sequel work? The answer is yes! As one of the producers of the film and a pilot himself, Tom Cruise insisted on keeping things as realistic as possible regarding the flying sequences. This led to limited use of green screens. The actors playing the pilots went through a three-month course developed by Cruise to learn how to deal with G-forces while riding in the backseat of an F-18. One reason the flying scenes look so real is because the actors are actually flying. In addition to being in the back seat of a real Navy F-18, the actors also had to operate the camera that was mounted in the cockpit and check the lighting, their makeup, and the sound. The hard work and dedication of the actors results in realistic flight scenes.

Tom Cruise in the cockpit with special cameras designed by Sony

While the flight scenes are extremely well done, one of the most touching scenes in the film is when Maverick goes to visit Ice Man. Once his rival, Ice Man is now a three-star admiral. He summons Maverick to his home to discuss the pilots and their training for the upcoming mission. What makes this scene unique is the fact that Val Kilmer can no longer speak due to throat cancer, so the interaction has Maverick talking and Ice Man responding by typing on a computer screen. The chemistry between the two characters is what makes this interaction so powerful. Even with limited conversation, this scene demonstrates the strength of their friendship (in real life, Cruise and Kilmer have remained friends since 1986).

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in the original Top Gun 

With elements of a classic western (the old and wise gunslinger being asked for help one last time) and Star Wars (the mission and how Maverick teaches the young pilots to complete it), Top Gun: Maverick is an entertaining and well-made sequel. Aviation enthusiasts will appreciate the attention to detail that was put into the flight scenes, as well as Tom Cruise flying his personal P-51 Mustang. Much like the original, the film was well-received by audiences and film critics. Top Gun: Maverick ended up being a successful sequel and in the difficult time of the global pandemic, helped bring moviegoers back to theaters.

Tom Cruise's personal P-51 Mustang

Henry Fonda and the Road to Mister Roberts

By Zachary Smyers
HRNM Educator

One of the most iconic actors from Hollywood’s “golden years,” Henry Fonda, put his successful film career on hold to serve in the Navy during World War II. Perhaps inspired by his narration work on John Ford’s film The Battle of Midway, Fonda made it quite clear that he intended to serve in the war when he said, “I don’t want to be in a fake war in a studio.”

Early head shot of Henry Fonda

At the age of 37, Fonda attended Navy basic training in San Diego, California. He completed the eight weeks of training, and, due to his excellent test scores, received orders to Quartermaster school. In a class of 200, Fonda graduated 10th. Quartermaster Third Class Fonda then reported for duty aboard USS Satterlee (DD 626). During his time aboard Satterlee, Fonda proved himself to be a focused, capable, and motivated sailor. He applied to be an officer, and within a year of his initial enlistment became Lieutenant (junior grade) Fonda.

Lieutenant Henry Fonda during World War II 

After his commission, Fonda received training in photo analysis, coding, and anti-submarine warfare. He eventually made his way to USS Curtiss (AV 4), where he served as the Assistant Air Operations Officer. Fonda rose to the rank of Lieutenant and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service as Assistant Operations Officer and Air Combat Intelligence Officer. When the war in the Pacific ended, Lt. Fonda made his way home.

Fonda's Bronze Star and citation

In 1946 he returned to his acting career and made the film My Darling Clementine, working again with director John Ford. The film received rave reviews and was considered one of the best pictures of 1946. In 1948, Fonda took a break from Hollywood and went to Broadway. It was on Broadway that he would bring to life one of his most memorable characters: Mister Roberts.

Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine

The Broadway production of Mister Roberts was based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Heggen. The story is about Lieutenant (junior grade) Douglas Roberts, a Navy officer on a cargo ship operating in the Pacific during WWII. Despite performing an important job—similar to Fonda in real life—Mister Roberts is discontent with his duties and feels left out of the war. This was a character that Fonda could relate to on a personal level. On February 18, 1948, Henry Fonda once again put on the Navy uniform (which included his own officer’s combination cover) to bring the role of Douglas Roberts to life. With 1,157 performances, Mister Roberts closed on January 6, 1951. The play received multiple Tony Awards, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a play for Henry Fonda.

Fonda on Broadway as Mister Roberts

The success of the play led to a film version, again directed by Fonda’s longtime collaborator and friend John Ford, in 1955. At the age of 50, Fonda reprised his role as Douglas Roberts along with an impressive cast, with stars like James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon. The film version was well received by fans and critics alike.

Movie poster for the film adaptation of Mister Roberts

Henry Fonda would play a Navy officer in the film Yours, Mine, and Ours (1968), as well as portray Admiral Chester Nimitz twice in the films In Harm’s Way (1965), and Midway (1977). Despite portraying many well-known characters during his long career, it was Douglas Roberts who most closely reflected the real-life experiences of Henry Fonda the Sailor.

Seventy-Five Years Ago: A Legendary Name is Reborn

On April 15, 1943, a ceremony held at Norfolk Naval Shipyard marked the commissioning of the newest Essex-class carrier.  What it really represented, however, was the rebirth of a legendary name in American military history.

Yorktown.

A new crew stands at attention as the National Ensign is raised for the first time during commissioning ceremonies for USS Yorktown (CV 10) at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia, April 15, 1943, Capt. Joseph J. Clark commanding. The fourth vessel to bear the name of the decisive Virginia victory during the Revolutionary War, she was the second built at Newport News Shipbuilding. (Lt. Charles Kerlee, USNR/ Naval History and Heritage Command Image)

Her keel was originally laid on December 1, 1941 as Bon Homme Richard, after the famous Continental Navy vessel commanded by John Paul Jones, but word came the following summer that the carrier Yorktown (CV 5), which had been launched from the same shipyard on April 4, 1937, had been sunk by a Japanese submarine in the Pacific after the Battle of Midway.  She was officially renamed that September.

The new Yorktown was the same as her predecessor only in name and vessel classification. In all other respects, she was a tremendous leap forward in capability. The shipyards of Hampton Roads were also at the top of their game. On January 21, 1943, sponsor Eleanor Roosevelt was shocked when Yorktown slid down the ways seven minutes ahead of schedule during her launching ceremony in Newport News. 

Sailors on wooden scaffolds apply paint below the waterline of USS Yorktown (CV 10) during dry docking at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in June 1943.  (Naval History and Heritage Command image)

Yorktown's finishing touches were applied that spring by throngs of workers at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, adding guns and radar systems that would receive a lot of use after she arrived in Hawaii by way of the Panama Canal in July.

Lieutenant Charles Kerlee captured Yorktown's ensign flying over the per at Naval Station Norfolk on June 22, 1943, just before the carrier set off for the Pacific.  The destroyers and auxiliary ships anchored in Hampton Roads in the background are indicative of the crowded conditions that have existed sporadically at Sewells Point from the 1940s until the late-1960s. (Naval History and Heritage Command image)

After work-ups by the crew and embarked air wing, Yorktown conducted her first combat operations off Marcus Island on August 31. After a brief mission to San Francisco to pick up additional aircraft and supplies, the fall and winter saw strikes on Wake Island, the Gilberts, Kwajalein, and Wtoje Atoll. A documentary film crew working under Commander Edward Steichen, who was to the Navy during World War II what Ansel Adams was to the Yosemite Valley around that same time, embarked during her first wartime deployment.  Their film entitled "The Fighting Lady," shot completely in Technicolor, gave the carrier her nickname. It would be the first in a long line of big and small screen appearances.  

Yorktown's combat record during the Second World War was exceptionally well-illustrated due to advances in photographic technology and the rapid expansion of the Photographer's Mate rating during the war, with carriers such as Yorktown receiving the lion's share of them.  Chief Photographer’s Mate A.N. Cooperman captured a Japanese "Jill" torpedo bomber immediately after a direct hit by antiaircraft fire (the original caption claimed it was a 5-inch shell) about 150 yards from the carrier off Kwajalein Atoll on December 4, 1943. (Naval History and Heritage Command image) 

Beginning in January 1944, Yorktown fought her way back and forth across the Central Pacific for nearly seven months with Task Force 50, starting with the invasion of the Marshall Islands, to the Marianas, to New Guinea, then all the way to Guam. Most of the time she used Majuro Atoll, the Marshall Islands’ capital which fell into American hands at the end of January, as a base of operations. After a two-month yard period at Puget Sound. She joined TF 38 in support of the Philippines invasion that fall and winter, surviving Typhoon Cobra off Luzon in December 1944. 

By January 1945, her planes were ranging as far as Saigon to the south and Okinawa to the north. The following month, they were flying over the main Japanese island of Honshu. All this time, not a single enemy aircraft made it through Yorktown’s lethal barrage of 5-inch, 40mm and 20mm guns. On March 18, however, this amazing run of luck ended when two Yokosuka P1Y “Frances” and three Yokosuka D4Y “Judy” dive bombers attempted to sink the carrier. Only one Judy was able to release its bomb before being cut to pieces, but it went right through the starboard signal bridge, penetrating all the way down through battery number seven to the second deck, where it exploded, killing five and wounding 26. Despite this, she remained fully operational, and despite numerous attempts at ramming the carrier off the southern main Japanese island of Kyushu and throughout her support of the Okinawa invasion, no other enemy aircraft go through her defensive screen.

Just a week later, Yorktown’s planes scored direct bomb and torpedo hits on the battleship Yamato and cruiser Yahagi when they made their suicidal sortie towards Okinawa. Operations off the Japanese home islands continued, with a short respite off Leyte in June.

For the next two months, Yorktown supported missions against Tokyo itself and Kure Naval Base on the Inland Sea, not far from Hiroshima. When that city was destroyed by an atomic bomb delivered by the Army Air Corps’ 509th Composite Group on August 6, she was off Northern Honshu, sending strikes against Tokyo and points north to Hokkaido over the next couple of days.

A visitor guide printed aboard the ship described an infamous event which followed:

On August 10th at 7:45 p.m. word was received from the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, to cease offensive operations. Orders were sent out to all planes to jettison bombs and return to ship. 

Tragically enough, Yorktown pilots on their way back to the ship were jumped from above by a strong force of Japanese fighthers. Four planes were lost before our pilots could recover from their surprise at this final act of Japanese treachery.*

Decommissioned and attached to the Pacific Fleet Reserve during the rapid demobilization following WWII, Yorktown was brought back to life in 1953 after her 5-inch batteries were removed and other major modifications were competed to the flight deck to allow for the operation of jet aircraft. Documentary film crews were on hand the following year to record the results, making the film “Jet Carrier,” which nearly netted an Academy Award.

This painting shows the antisubmarine warfare carrier Yorktown (CVS 10) operating off Hawaii between 1961 and 1963.  Two Sikorsky HSS-1N Seabat helicopters are staged forward with one just aft of the port-side elevator and another near the fantail. On the catapults are two Douglas AD-5 Skyraiders of Airborne Early Warning Squadron 11, while several Grumman S2F Trackers belonging to Anti-Submarine Squadron 23 (VS-23) and VS-25 round out the mix of aircraft belonging to Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 55. (The National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida)   

Although Yorktown operated as a fleet carrier during the war against Japan and an attack carrier (CVA) during the Korean War, the growing progression of jet fighters and ever-heavier strike aircraft necessitated the construction of the Forrestal-class “super carriers.” After they started coming on line during the mid-1950s, Yorktown was converted into an antisubmarine warfare carrier (CVS) in 1958, becoming the nucleus of a resurrected “hunter-killer” group, a concept that had proved itself very effective when escort carriers served in the same role during the Battle of the Atlantic 15 years before.

Fifty years ago this week, Yorktown was in the midst of her seventh and last WESPAC cruise as a CVS, over half of which was spent off the coast of Korea after the signals intelligence gathering ship Pueblo (AGER-2) was captured in January 1968.

After undergoing maintenance at Long Beach Naval Shipyard from July through November, Yorktown’s first foray into dramatic feature films took place when she portrayed the lead aircraft carrier attacking Pearl Harbor for "Tora! Tora! Tora!," carrying 30 modified North American T-6 Texan and Vultee BT-13 Valiant trainers sporting “meatball” markings.

The Apollo 8 command module rests on the deck of USS Yorktown (CVS 10) after its successful flight around the moon in December 1968. (National Aeronautices and Space Administration via Wikimedia Commons)

After the filming, her last duties in the Pacific included being the prime recovery ship for Apollo 8, the first manned circumlunar flight. On December 26, astronauts William Anders, Frank Borman, and James Lovell landed in the Pacific about 1,000 miles southwest of Hawaii, within 3,000 yards of the carrier. On January 2, 1969, she departed Hawaii for Hampton Roads via Cape Horn, with stopovers in Long Beach and several South American ports.

After 26 years away from Hampton Roads, Naval Station Norfolk finally became Yorktown's home port when she joined Hunter Killer Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, replacing the carrier Randolph (CV-15) on February 28, 1969. After refresher training off Cuba, she participated in the NATO exercise Operation Sparkplug, followed by a Northern European deployment.

Her service life came to an end at her decommissioning on June 27, 1970, at Philadelphia, whereupon she became part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She lives on today as a museum ship at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in South Carolina, where she took up residence in 1975.

Thirty-five years ago, Yorktown once again became a shooting location for a drama, this time set in the present. Simulating a breaking news broadcast, 1983’s “Special Bulletin,” which some at the time compared with Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, was perhaps the first American film to depict nuclear terrorism in an age of wall-to-wall news coverage.

The following year, Hollywood again came calling, this time in the science fiction genre, when Yorktown served as a setting for "The Philadelphia Experiment," about an apocryphal 1943 Navy stealth technology test that inadvertently transports two Sailors 41 years into the future.

Museum ship Yorktown was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986 and receives thousands of visitors each year at her home near Charleston, South Carolina. Her name was carried back into active service by the Ticonderoga-class cruiser Yorktown (CG 48), which was commissioned, fittingly, in Yorktown, Virginia, on the fourth of July, 1984.  She was based for another two decades at Naval Station Norfolk until her decommissioning in December 2004.  

*Yorktown's official history maintained by the Naval History and Heritage Command does not mention the incident described in the visitor’s guide, nor do several other sources consulted by the author, thus it is not clear whether the incident actually took place.

Naut(ical) Flix



Almost 80 years before the Navy squared off against aliens in the movie Battleship (2012),
they brought the fight to King Kong (below) in 1933. (Photos: Wikia.com/ USNI News)

Since before The Fighting Seabees and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo debuted 70 years ago, Hollywood has played a critical role in crafting the popular perception of the United States Navy. With the release of recent films such as Act of Valor, Lone Survivor, and even Battleship, it is evident that the relationship between Hollywood and the U.S. Navy is still going strong.  This fact is shown by the location of the Navy Office of Information West (NAVINFOWEST) in Los Angeles.  NAVINFOWEST’s purpose is to assist the film industry in making movies involving the United States Navy.  In addition, the office maintains and develops contacts with the entertainment industry for the purpose of sharing the military's story, as well as facilitating any film and television messages relevant to the military.  Visit their website or Facebook page for more information on how the US Navy is working with the film industry.

Even the Hampton Roads Naval Museum makes use of NAVINFOWEST when we receive film requests. All production companies must forward their requests through NAVINFOWEST for final approval before we can coordinate film projects on-site.  Decisions are made in accordance with NAVINFOWEST’s mission to “enhance public awareness and further the accurate portrayal of the U.S. Navy’s latest technologies, ships and highly trained personnel.”

If you are interested in reading more about the relationship between Hollywood and our military, take a look at books from film and military historian Lawrence Suid.  Dr. Suid’s first book, Guts & Glory (Addison-Wesley, 1978), became the definitive study of the relationship between the film industry and the armed services.  The University Press of Kentucky published a revised, expanded edition of the book in June 2002, which carries the story from the Biograph Company's Navy films shown at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair through Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers.  Dr. Suid also wrote Sailing on the Silver Screen (The Naval Institute Press, 1996), which focused on the symbiotic relationship between the United States Navy and the motion picture industry. 

What is your favorite Navy film?

(This blog post was written by HRNM Public Relations Coordinator Susanne Greene.)

Educating Sailors Throughout History

On Thursday, September 20, at 6pm, HRNM is hosting a program about the Navy's use of graphic novels as training tools. But to understand how the Navy began to use such a non-traditional format for teaching sailors, one must look back through history to see how the Navy has trained sailors in the past. Participants in the graphic novels program will view a small, temporary exhibit about the Navy's various ways of training over the years. Here is a preview of one exhibit panel about how the Navy trained sailors in the 20th century. If you're a former (or current) sailor and experienced any of these forms of training, comment and let us know your thoughts!

 The 1921 graduating class in front of Electrician.

During the 20^th century, sailors trained through hands-on experience, training manuals, and via experienced sailors. Most notably, the Bluejacket’s Manual was first issued in 1902. Additionally, the Navy recognized the need for establishing training schools around the country, including the training school at Naval Operating Base Norfolk (now Naval Station Norfolk). Norfolk’s training school included a full-scale ship, the Electrician, on which sailors trained for electrical work and other tasks. Electrician did everything except float.

Training films became popular in the 1940s. 

A couple decades later, the US Navy took advantage of motion pictures by creating training films. The Navy’s films trained sailors on a variety of subjects, including aircraft carrier flight deck safety, hygiene, escaping from disabled submarines, recovering sailors who have fallen overboard, landing aboard an aircraft carrier, firing gun turrets, and many other topics. Many of these films have survived to the present-day, including the ones you'll be able to watch at HRNM on Thursday evening, September 20. RSVP to laura.l.orr@navy.mil today for this FREE program! 

John C. McGinley at HRNM!

Actor John C. McGinley, famous for his role of "Dr. Cox" on NBC's Scrubs, came to the museum and Battleship Wiscosin on Saturday 15 November 2008. Mr. McGinley was in town for a conference and took some time to come down to our museum. Suprised and a little starstruck, SK1 Kelly Chastain and Educators Matthew Eng and Stephen Hebert asked him to sign an autograph of a ship's picture. Mr. McGinley thankfully did so and stuck around to ask a few questions and take pictures with our grateful staff members. Here they are.

Pictured: Stephen Hebert, John C. McGinley, SK1 Kelly Chastain)

Pictured: Stephen Hebert, John C. McGinley, Matthew Eng

Pictured: John C. McGinley, SK3 Ashley Moody-David